Dodgers spend Jackie Robinson Day honoring baseball legend’s courage and legacy

All 30 Main League Baseball golf equipment celebrated the seventy fifth anniversary of Jackie Robinson Day on Friday.

However no workforce did it fairly just like the Dodgers.

Within the morning, David Worth and Mookie Betts had been out locally; Worth at Longfellow Elementary Faculty in Pasadena, studying the e-book “I Am Jackie Robinson” to college students; Betts at Robinson’s close by alma mater, John Muir Excessive Faculty, serving to unveil a mural of Robinson within the campus’ courtyard.

“Strolling round and seeing the place he performed baseball and the place he walked to class, it’s simply neat,” Betts stated. “[The whole day] is type of like a vacation right here. It’s a vacation in all places, but it surely’s slightly extra right here.”

Within the afternoon, the workforce donned its No. 42 jerseys and walked to the center-field plaza at Dodger Stadium, gathering round a statue of Robinson throughout an tackle from his son, David.

“To have David right here at this time, figuring out that there’s going to be 42 jerseys everywhere in the ballpark and everybody in baseball goes to be sporting blue jerseys with the No. 42, it’s particular,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts. “What he did was unimaginable, however we’ve bought to do him proper by maintain going.”

And after an on-field pregame ceremony that included Robinson’s 99-year-old widow, Rachel, the Dodgers secured their fourth straight win, too, beating the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 to enhance to 5-2 on the season.

As they did the primary time by means of the rotation, Tony Gonsolin and Tyler Anderson mixed for a powerful evening on the mound. Gonsolin pitched 4 scoreless innings, stranding all six runners who reached. Then Anderson piggybacked with a four-inning, one-run reduction look.

“It’s been type of good,” Gonsolin stated. “Me and TA have constructed loads higher relationship going after each other. Going into these video games, we’re like, ‘Hey, let’s get this complete recreation at this time.’”

They virtually did, leaving solely the ninth inning for nearer Craig Kimbrel, who picked up his first save at Dodger Stadium since being acquired by the workforce on the finish of spring coaching.

The offense, in the meantime, manufactured runs within the second, a Chris Taylor RBI single; within the third, a Trea Turner RBI triple; and the fifth, a bases-loaded stroll from Justin Turner in an inning that started with a Gavin Lux triple.

Dodgers reduction pitcher Tyler Anderson throws throughout the fourth inning of a 3-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.

(Ashley Landis / Related Press)

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Trea Turner had two hits on the evening, extending his hitting streak to 26 video games stretching to final season.

“Wow,” Roberts stated when knowledgeable of Turner’s streak, which is 5 video games shy of the membership report. “It’s fairly spectacular.”

Lux reached base thrice, elevating his early-season batting common to a team-best .381.

“It’s actually enjoyable watching Gavin type of put it collectively proper now,” Roberts stated.

Nonetheless, Friday was the uncommon evening reminiscences of the previous — and hopes for the longer term — loomed simply as giant as leads to the current.

Seventy-five years after Jackie Robinson debuted for the Dodgers to interrupt baseball’s colour barrier, Roberts contemplated a number of points throughout his pregame media scrum.

Dodgers gamers put on No. 42, in honor of Jackie Robinson, whereas listening to the singing of the nationwide anthem earlier than Friday’s recreation.

(Ashley Landis / Related Press)

He famous the limitations standing earlier than Black gamers hoping to achieve the large leagues, leading to half from MLB’s choice to chop down on the dimensions of farm techniques and the size of the draft.
“In 2022, I wouldn’t have been drafted,” Roberts, a Twenty eighth-round choice in 1994 earlier than going onto a 10-year profession, stated of the brand new 20-round draft. “The farm groups minimize down, I believe that limits alternatives for all youngsters to proceed to develop.”

As one among solely two Black managers in baseball, Roberts was additionally requested concerning the lack of variety on the teaching and front-office ranges.

“We’re on it,” he stated. “I’m on a [diversity, equity and inclusion] committee with Main League Baseball, making an attempt to put individuals of colour, gender, in type of a pipeline program, a variety pipeline. We’re on faculty campuses making an attempt to recruit the fitting individuals.

“However it’s onerous as a result of while you go to school, you might have a possibility to earn a dwelling actually rapidly. In baseball the trade … you’ve bought to start out from the underside.”

David Robinson, son of Jackie Robinson, speaks to Dodgers gamers and employees whereas standing close to a statue of his father outdoors Dodger Stadium on Friday afternoon.

(Ashley Landis / Related Press)

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Nevertheless, he famous that selling such modifications is as a lot part of Jackie Robinson Day now as remembrances of his legacy.

“To understand how far we’ve come is definitely truthful, however extra importantly is the place we have to go,” Roberts stated. “That’s what sort of pushes and challenges all of us to maintain getting higher and to make change.”

Added David Robinson: “Gamers are stepping as much as be extra than simply the athlete, representing human values, human issues, and persevering with to alter the perspective and beliefs and ideas of the American public, and it’s a very good factor. So keep the course. However improve the plan, and probably we’ll all be higher.”